Melvin Gordon's holdout will end at some point this season. Even he knows that truth.
The Los Angeles Chargers running back said in a chat with his Instagram followers Tuesday that he is "going to play somewhere" this season and added "it would be a waste of talent" if he sat an entire year, per Eric Williams of ESPN.
Gordon is currently holding out as the Chargers haven't budged one inch from their $10 million-per-year contract offer. Gordon wants closer to the top running backs in the league like Todd Gurley, Le'Veon Bell and David Johnson, which is around $13 million or $14 million per year.
The 26-year-old was never going to pull a Le'Veon Bell and hold out the entire season. Gordon needs to report at some point to earn an accrued season towards free agency; otherwise his $5.6 million contract will toll.
Whether he plays the end of the year with the Chargers or another club remains to be seen. The team granted Gordon's agents permission to seek a trade of the running back. Nothing has materialized as of yet and barring a big-name injury to a playoff team it's skeptical one might pop up. Coupling the Chargers' trade demands and Gordon's contract desires could make a deal tough to come by.
With Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson performing well, Gordon's leverage with the Chargers has shrunk, if anything, since the season started. Barring injuries in L.A., a Chargers implosion, or disaster striking elsewhere, that leverage might not ever rise to the level Gordon would need it to get what he wants in 2019.
Gordon knows his holdout has an expiration date at some point this season. It always has. Until then, he'll train and get ready for his eventual report date down the road.
